[rescue] Small servers (was Re: WTT: 1.5G of PC2700 for 1G of PC100)

[Shannon Hendrix]

On May 4, 2008, at 20:36 , Sridhar Ayengar wrote:

> Shannon Hendrix wrote:
>> Almost no living programers today would even know how to write code  
>> for a machine that was not based on 8/16/32/64-bit 2's compliment  
>> CPUs and not too many more have any idea how to deal with a machine  
>> that is not Intel based or running a video console.
>
> Anyone who writes anything reasonably low-level on mainframes  
> (myself included) know that stuff.

My point is the percentage of people like that is so low now, I can  
get away, statistically speaking, with saying they don't exist.  They  
are not the ones driving the industry and its training systems any more.

That's what percent of the programming workforce, well below half a  
percent?

Of course, I also know that this industry has gone in reverse now and  
then, so maybe things will change.

I have noticed that whole lot of local people who "got into computers"  
are now doing other things.  Seems their unemployment rate was quite a  
bit higher than mine.

Of course, that also means that some of us end up doing the same kind  
of horrid work they were doing, or have to fix their messes... :)

> There's also the argument that someone who makes those sorts of  
> assumptions aren't really programmers.

Well, I won't get into where the dividing line is, because technically  
programmer just means "one who creates programs."

The definition doesn't say they have to be good.

I'd be happy if more of them would simply start giving a damn about  
their job.

-- 
"Where some they sell their dreams for small desires."